Chapter One
If she ran now, he would know that she knew. And she didn’t want him to know that she was scared, or that she knew.
Her breath, fast and shallow, sent out silvery white puffs of air into the still and silent night. Caitlin’s heart beat louder still. She quickened her footsteps, almost breaking out into a semi-run.
She cursed the high heeled boots she had on; running wasn’t an option. She glanced to her side and in her periphery, she saw the lone figure behind her.
I wish I hadn’t drunk so much.
Why hadn’t she left the restaurant earlier or gotten a cab home or an earlier train? The three glasses of wine were clouding her judgment. She had to put as much distance between herself and the hooded man behind her. Fast. The December night frost sobered her slightly. She wasn’t drunk, but her senses weren’t as sharp as she needed them to be. Not if she wanted to outwit the silent figure on her tail.
She walked as fast as her legs could manage and got out her phone. Trying to concentrate, and walk, without dropping the phone or tripping in her high heels, was not easy. Especially since her heart was pumping faster than she had ever known and her hands were shaking.
She also got out her house keys, just in case, to use as a weapon the way Kerrie had taught her. She speed dialed her friend’s number. Kerrie would be at home waiting for her.
Caitlin heard the ringing. Pick up, please, pick up! And Kerrie did. But just then a strong, rough hand, almost the size of her face, barricaded her mouth. She immediately went into lockdown, knowing it was too late. Fighting to breathe, Caitlin's gloved hands shot up towards her face as she tried to prize the attacker’s hands off her mouth. He spun her around roughly, for a moment loosening his grip on her mouth, and grabbed her by the shoulders instead. She gasped for air and found herself face to face with a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt. In the dark of the night, she didn’t get a good look at his face clearly but saw enough of his features to know that she didn’t know him. Panicked and fearful, she looked into his eyes and kicked him in the groin, surprising even herself. He buckled back in agony and she felt her own legs buckle and her mouth go dry. In the split second that he bent double, she turned around and ran, screaming as loudly as she could. She stumbled on her right foot but managed to steady herself in time, running wildly as far as she could go.
It was way past midnight and the streets were empty. If only she had hailed that black cab. This was the only thought that came to her. The walk home wasn’t long and the road was busy. London never slept, especially around Tower Bridge. But this small stretch of road was always the quietest and she had taken a chance on it today. Unlucky for her.
She staggered around, trying to get her bearings and get away but she didn’t feel in control of her body. It felt as though she had floated out of it and was looking on as an observer; she heard her own gasping and breathing, as though it was someone else. She didn’t get very far before a strong arm clamped her roughly from her waist this time. Her attacker threw her down backwards and landed on top of her.
That was when she screamed in terror. A loud, gut wrenching, primal scream, because she was terrified at the thought of what might be next. He had pinned her down, but she still had her house keys clasped tightly in one hand, with the long ends sticking out, like a dagger. As she struggled to break free, he punched her hard across the face so that her head slammed backwards. Her face burned red and raw from his punch, stinging sharply. She felt the anger rising within her, like a jet stream of lava bubbling up from her stomach. Raising her right arm swiftly, she jabbed him hard across the cheek. His animal shriek confirmed she’d hit the right target. He rolled off her, holding the side of his face in his hands. She scurried backwards, and flung her handbag far away from her. Take what you want.
Quickly raising herself up, Caitlin tried to find the right direction to run in. She felt paralyzed and heard herself screaming again at the top of her voice. Why was nobody coming?
In the precious few moments that her attacker fumbled around with her handbag, Caitlin managed to run a short distance. Then she heard a thump of what must have been her bag falling to the ground followed by thick, heavy footsteps coming towards her. Now she felt weak and empty knowing that it was only a matter of time. This time he grabbed her hair roughly from behind and she could feel his fury.
“Help me! Someone please, HELP!” she screamed as he yanked her hair so hard that she stumbled and fell backwards. He dragged her brutally across the hard ground. Now where?
Unable to see a way out and knowing she could not run, Caitlin screamed as if it were her last hope. In the distance she heard the loud roar of a car and stared up to see it heading her way. The car’s headlights flooded the once dark street with an angry glare of light and she heard a door open. The grip on her hair loosened and she recoiled in horror as a tall figure got out and looked at her.
When he stepped in front of the headlights, blocking the bright light for a few seconds, Caitlin saw the head of blond hair and instinctively shrank back in fear. He had her now. She would not survive this.
“Get your filthy hands off her.” The man’s voice was loud, angry. Caitlin let out a small breath, thankful that it wasn’t him. She heard the soft sound of running footsteps and turned to see her attacker getting away. The blond man sprinted after him.
She crawled onto all fours, not having the energy to get back up, and watched as the blond man caught up with the attacker. He drew his arm back and then let rip with an almighty punch to her attacker’s jaw, sending him reeling back onto the ground. She kept away as the two men fought viciously and hunted around for her handbag, phone and keys; they were almost invisible in the enveloping darkness. She dialed 999 and in a faltering whisper told them she had been attacked, and had enough presence of mind to give them her exact location. As she turned around, she saw her attacker land a hefty punch to the blond man's ribs, knocking him to the ground. As her rescuer lay motionless on his back, her attacker kicked him ferociously over and over again, until he lay lifeless on the pavement. Then he lifted his head up and looked directly at Caitlin. Fear caught in her ribcage, choking her breathing, she hunched on the ground clutching her mobile phone.
He was walking towards her. Covering her face with her hands, Caitlin cowered helplessly on the ground, expecting the worst. But just before he threw down his fist to unleash his anger for the last time, a hefty punch to his neck from behind sent the attacker flying to the side where he doubled up in pain.
The comforting wail of police sirens in the distance signaled the end of a violent night for Caitlin. And as he stumbled towards her, the tall blond man fell to his knees and collapsed onto the damp, hard ground.
The attacker staggered upright and threw Caitlin one last threatening look before he slithered away into the dark shadows.
